Stacked appliances, such as a clothes washer and dryer, are common in houses and buildings where space is limited, such as in apartments. In conventional stacked appliances, the upper unit, usually the dryer, is set upon the lower unit and brackets are attached to the backs of the units to secure them together. The interconnected stacked units are then slid into position against a wall or into an alcove.
Several problems exist with such conventional mounting arrangement for stacked appliances. First, the weight of the interconnected appliances makes it more difficult to move the stacked units into position against the wall or in the alcove, as compared to moving only one of the units into position. Secondly, accessibility to the backs of the units is limited, thus making hook-ups with the dryer vent, electricity, and gas more complicated.
Accordingly, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved mounting arrangement for stacked appliances.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a mounting arrangement for stacked appliances which allows quick and easy mounting of the upper unit on the lower unit.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of stacked appliances wherein the upper unit is slideable on the lower unit and automatically aligned and interconnected.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of a mounting arrangement for stacked appliances which allows the lower unit to be positioned against a wall or into an alcove, make utility connections and then slidably position and secure the upper unit onto the lower unit.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a method for mounting an upper appliance unit onto a lower appliance unit to form a stable stacked set in a quick and simple manner.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.